Winemaker Notes
Fresh fruit and oral aromas dominate the nose and palate; white peach, lemon zest, pear, Granny Smith apple and citrus blossoms. The oak influence creates a nice mid-palate, the wine shows a balanced acidity that carries through in the long finish.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
Winemaker Jill Russell does wonders with this widely available wine. Aromas of Meyer lemon and sea salt ride over roasted peach on the nose, leading into pan-seared apple, more salt and a touch of warm butter on the palate. Editors’ Choice.
-
Wine Spectator
Plush and well-spiced, with a creamy texture to the ripe apple and peach pastry flavors. The finish is loaded with buttered toast accents that glide across the palate. Drink now.
-
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2019 Cambria Estate Winery Katherine's Vineyard Chardonnay is layered and smooth on the palate. TASTING NOTES: This wine shows up with aromas and flavors of dried spices, ripe apples, and hints of oak. Enjoy it with grilled halibut. (Tasted: July 8, 2021, San Francisco, CA)
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
A lesser-known but elite AVA within the larger Santa Barbara district, the Santa Maria Valley AVA runs precisely west to east starting near the coast. The valley funnels cool, Pacific Ocean air to the vineyards more inland, allowing grapes a longer hang time to ripen evenly and achieve their full potential by harvest time. Combined with minimal rainfall, consistent warm sunshine, and well-drained soils, it is an ideal environment for grape growing.
Many of the wineries here are small and highly respected, having established a reputation in the 1970s and 80s for producing excellent Central Coast wines like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. More recently, Syrah has also proven quite successful in the region. Many vineyards are owned by growers who sell their grapes to other wineries, so it is common to see the same vineyard name on bottlings from different wineries. Bien Nacido Vineyard is perhaps the best-known and most prestigious.